Fire-escape



FIRE EsAPB.

No. 290,076. Patented Deo. 11, 1883.

IIIIH" n, pneus. mvumwmf. www M1 s Nrrnn STATES;

PATENT. OFFICE.

MILES LEVI'S AND EUCLID SANDERS,-OF HASTIN GS, NEBRASKA.

FI RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. aedove, datedDecember-11, lesa y Application filed June 30, M383.` (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.- l

Be it known that we,., M. K. Lnwrs an EUOLID SA-NDERS, citizens of theUnited States, residingat Hastings, -in the county of Adams and State ofNebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFire-Escapes 5 and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, v

set forth, and particularly pointed out in the Y appended claims.

ln the accompanying drawings, the rope used is indicated at a. This ropeis designed to be twice as long as the distance to be descended, and theends of the rope are preferably fastened together in endless form. Aslip-noose, b, is provided on the rope, the loop working through a ring,c, connected to the rope.

The letter d indicates the pulley-block, which carries in its upperportion the transverse gravitating-pawl e, of sufficient breadth toextend between the walls of the block and engage both oftheratchet-flangesf of the pulley g. The groove or gutter 71. of thispulley is rectangular in cross-section, as indicated in the drawings.The bottom lc of the block connecting the lower portions of its sidewalls is perforated at m and a, these perforations be-` ing somewhatobliquely arranged with reference to each other, to serve as guides forthe rope a and prevent it from winding upon the pulley in an-irregularmanner.

On the inside and near theiniddle of the bottom 7c of the block isrigidly attached an upwardly-projecting fork, Z, orpartitionguide,extending upward into the groove of the pulley, the upper concave edges,r, of its prongs 19 just clearing the cylindrical base t of theV groove.,The prongs are located far enough apart to provide for the passage of aturn of the rope a between them, said rope passing around the pulley, asshown. The object of the fork-guide is to hold the turn of the rope inthe middle of the pulley-groove, and thereby to obviate the tendency ofthe rope to pass over againstl the ilange nearest the ascending rope,and causing the ascending rope to cross or ride upon itself. A spool, s,is also used, in connection with this device, to carry the rope inconvenient and compact form, the rope being wound double upon the spoolfrom its lower end, or end farthest from the pulleyblock. The spool alsoserves as a carrier to convey the rope, when thrown out of a window,downward tothe ground, causing the rope to become unooiled gradually asit falls, and preventing it from tanglingor becoming complicatedwithwindow-caps or other projections below.

The operation of the device is as follows: The block is suspended bymeans of the hook z at its upper end, or by a iiexible cord or chain, tothe upper portion or any convenient part of the inside of theWindow-frame. The loop b of the rope hangs just vbelow the block, andbelow this is the spool s, having the remainder of the rope coiledthereon. The block should be arranged to hang j ust below the bottom ofthe upper sash.

When it is desired to use the escape, thelower sash is raised or brokenout, and the spool, beingthrown out of thewindow, descends to theground. The loop b is adjusted around under the arms-of a persondesiring to de-v tle counterbalancing-pressure Ybeing required on theascending branch of the rope.Y In lowering children or persons unable tregulate the speed of descentfor themselves,

this should be -done by some one below, or in IOO the room from whichthe person is being 10W- ered.

In hoisting a person from the ground to the Window, the person isconnected to the rope by means of the loop, and may pull himself up bymeans of the opposite branch; or he may bepulled up by an assistant onthe ground. In this case, the motion of the rope upon the pulley beingreversed in direction, the pawl does not act and the pulley turns freelyin the block.

Having described this invention, whatwe claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

l. The pulley-block having a gravitating pawl and obliquely-arrangedguide-perforations in its base, and Within said block a pulley havingratchetanges, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the rope and the pulley-block havingguideperforations in its bottom, of the rectangularly-grooved pulley,its ratchet-flanges, the pawl, and the forkguide risingfrom the bottomof the block into the groove of the pulley, substantially as specifled.

In testimony whereof we afx our signatures in presence oi' twoWitnesses.

MILES K. LEVIS. EUGLID SANDERS.

Ytn esses:

J. H. FLEMING, A. L. WORK.

